About two years ago, I let the SVBC Board of Directors know that I was thinking about moving on. That time has come and we’re excited to announce that the Board has launched the search for a new executive director of Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.

SVBC is fortunate to have a great Board to coordinate the process, overseen by a subcommittee with experience in executive director searches. I plan to stay on until a replacement is found, and would appreciate your help in finding good candidates. The job description is here.

I was handed a healthy organization when I took the reins in 2015. Building off a group of dedicated volunteers, Corinne Winter, as the first full-time Executive Director assembled a great start-up team. Those original employees bootstrapped this organization and made it a full-fledged functioning force for bike advocacy.

Since that time, there have been tremendous changes to our streets. You see it in all the new green paint and in particular through the decrease in bike crashes from 1,100 in 2015 to 880 in 2019 (the last “normal” year before Covid) with the number of bike fatalities cut in half. Class 1 bike facilities (shared use paths) grew from 400 miles to 600 between 2018 to 2021. And, we saw the advent of all sorts of new street designs, including the, at the time, radical concept of protected bike lanes, not just a skinny white line that gives a false sense of security. When I started, protected bike lanes were essentially a dream but we’re up to 46 miles in 2021. In total, we now have 2,000 miles of bike facilities of all kinds in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

When I came into the role, I had a zillion things I wanted to accomplish all at once. I quickly learned about prioritization. I also learned that as an executive director of a bike coalition, like any similar role, my time was spent reviewing contracts, understanding insurance requirements, making sure we could make payroll, supporting staff, and otherwise, not getting to do the super fun parts of spreading bike-love. My dream job had another side to it! (And Corinne, wisely, kept that side from me before I took the job.) That said, there were several things to accomplish, and we have:

Financial Sustainability: There was a time as a scrappy nonprofit where we struggled to make payroll. We now have a three-month operating reserve and have grown and balanced our revenue streams while minimizing dependence on any one source of revenue. Our budget has grown from $850k in 2015 to $1.5 million this year enabling us to accomplish much more.

Pedal Power: One of the biggest hopes I had for the organization was to tap into the most valuable asset we have – you. By bringing together the thousands of passionate pedalers to pressure city councils, that is how we create biketopia. We’ve done that with the local team model and now have ten, growing, city-based teams. And this is just the beginning of SVBC’s power building!

Proactive Programs: When I came into this role, we were desperately pedaling on the fundraising treadmill, so much so that our program work was reactive. Over the years, we worked with funders to allow us the space to create programs focused on three lanes of work, Education, Fun, and Service. This puts us in the rightful position for a bike coalition of trusted bike experts that coordinate programs resulting in transportation behavior change.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: In 2016, the organization sought and won funding to go through a diversity, equity, and inclusion process. A plan was adopted a little over a year later and it has put the organization on a path to ensure that the bike movement helps make systemic changes that benefit those who have been and continue to be excluded from accessing power and opportunity.

Strategic Plan: And finally, the organization created its first ever strategic plan. This plan, adopted earlier this year, sets the roadmap for the organization, defining the vision and strategies in order to create more healthy and just communities by making bicycling safe and accessible for all.

All of this could not have been possible without the incredible staff of SVBC all through the years. I count myself one of the most fortunate people on the planet to have been able to wake up every day and know that I get to work with people who care deeply about building community through the humble bicycle. They are proof that this organization’s effectiveness is not dependent upon the person called executive director.

As I reflect on the past seven years, I can’t underscore enough the importance of you, the supporters of SVBC, the people who long to live life joyfully by bike. You’ve donated your time and money to the organization and you’ve helped move SVBC to become the go-to voice for the bike movement. You are what will continue to make this organization powerful, so please, keep it up, and help this organization, the next leader, and the great SVBC team pedal up the many hills to come.

P.S.: In the event that you’re curious what I’ll be up to, I plan to take some time off and ride my bike after these fairly tumultuous years of running a nonprofit through a pandemic. I love this organization so I can imagine that after some rest, whether it’s volunteering, implementing a program, fundraising, running a local team, or supporting the next executive director, I plan to continue to be a part of the bike movement in Silicon Valley.

P.P.S: I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to remind you to donate to SVBC as a part of your holiday giving. You can do so here.